Process for the production of leather-board stock.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'ALBERT L. CIlAPP, or BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS,

COMPANY, or BOSTON, MASSAGHUSETTS, A

ASSIGNOR TO HIDE-ITE LEATHER CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LEATHERr-BOARD STOCK.

1,063,958. No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicationfiled Ianuary 4, 1911. Serial No. 600,724.

Patented June 10,1913.

P.rocesses for the Production of Leather- Board Stock, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to an 1mproved process of producin stock for leather-board, and to the boar made from such stock.

The board formed from the stock produced by the method hereinafter set forth in detail is waterproof and has a waterproofing oil, fat, wax or the like equally distributed throughout its body during the process of manufacturing the stock, such waterproofing edium being preferably carried into an distributed throughout the body of the stock (which is usually formed of shredded fibrous leather) by a suitable vehicle, ordinaril in the form of a fine powder, with which it is mixed prior to introduction into the stock. The oil or other substance employed may, however, though not so great an advantage, be mixed with the beater stock in the beater engine while the same is being beaten up. 7 p

The introduction of the oil-carrying vehicle, which is loaded with the oil or other equivalent material, into and thrdughout the fibrous body of the board has the eflect of producing a board equally waterproof throughout, for as the sheets are dried after being formed the oil spreads from the vehicle throughout the board. This is a manifest/advantage and, furthermoreilthe board is readily worked and takes a igh finish under suitable tools, such as burnishers, edge-setters and the like. a

By preference wood flour is employed as the carrier for the waterproofing oil, as it is cheap, easy to handle and non-soluble. Any oil, animal, vegetable or mineral, or any wax, provided heat be employed, may be used as the waterproofing medium. In practice a heavy mineral oil, such as petroatum, has been successfully employed. A quantity of such oil, say about 150 pounds,

.is added to 400' pounds, of dry wood flour and the two ingredientsthoroughly intermingled in a tumbler revolving barrel or any other mixing machine. Preferably-the oil is warmed, as the wood flour will absorb it more readily when in this condition. This mixture produces a granular mass or filler which, when introduced into the beater englne, will readily mix with the previously 60" shredded leather fibers therein. After theoil-charged mass or filler has been introduced into the beater, thebeater is continued in operation long enough to evenly distribute the oil-charged wood flour throu hout 66 the leather fibers. This condition 0 the stock obtains throughout the process of forming the board therefrom. If, however, it should be found, during the process of forming the board, that the oil-charged par- 70 ticles tend to float, the difliculty may bereadily removed by the addition of a loading material, preferably inert in the presence of the stock constituents, such as lead oxid,

such material being employed in the ratio of about 10 to 15 per cent. of the Weight of the wood flour or other vehicle used.

Other oil-carrying vehicles may be employed, and it is readily conceivable that said vehicle may be so heavy that no load ing material or substance need be added thereto. The invention, moreover, is not to be limited to the exact steps as above out lined, for the oil may be added directly to the beater stock while the same is being shredded, and the oil-carrying and distributing vehicle introduced simultaneously or thereafter. The direct mixing of the oil and vehicle is, however, preferred, as there can then be no doubt as to the thorough absorption of the oil by the vehicle and the consequent .even distribution of the same throughout the mass of fibers.

The term oil as employed in the claims 7 given a broad scope; in fact, is to be treated as a generic word including any oil, r t

istobe wax, fat or e like.

Havin aim 1s:

1. The

throughout a mass of shredded leather, an

absorptive granular substance charged with 2. The process of producing stock for 105 3. The process of producing stock for l10 g thus described my invention, what process of producing stock for leather-board, which consists in distributing leather-board, which consists in mixing a mass of finely-comminuted material with heated oil, and intermixing the mass, thus formed with a mass of shredded leather.

4;. The process of producing stock for leather-board, which consists in saturating a mass of wood flour with oil, and mixing such saturated mass with a mass of shredded leather.

5. The process of producing stock for leather-board, which consists in treating wood flour with oil until a granular mass is produced, and finally intermixing the mass with a mass of shredded leather.

6. The process of producing stock for leatherboard, which consists in mixing oil with a suitable vehicle; loading the mass thus produced; and finally adding and intermixing said charged and loaded mass with a mass of shredded leather.

7 The process of producing stock for leather-board, which consists in charging a mass of wood flour with oil; loading the same with lead-oxid; and finally intermixing the loaded, oil-charged mass with a mass of shredded leather.

8. As a new article of manufacture, leather-board having present throughout the same finely-divided absorbent particles charged with oil.

9. As a new article of manufacture, leather-board having present throughout the same particles of wood flour charged with oil.

10. As a new article of manufacture, leather-board having present throughout the same loaded and oil-charged particles.

11. As a new article of manufacture, leather-board having present throughout the same particles of wood flour charged with oil and loaded with a heavy chemical. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT L. CLAPP.

\Vitnesses JULIA M. ENEGESS, ALEX D. SALINGER. 

